“Brands have been wise to the ways of their customers for a long time now, but the commercialisation of digital loyalty schemes is still relatively new ground,” said PCS managing director Rob Nicolls.

“Our research suggests that going digital isn’t necessarily the way forward. We are urging retailers to consider this to ensure they are keeping all of their customers happy.”

At present, the average British person uses loyalty cards twice a week and in majority of cases at supermarkets, the survey also found. It also discovered that just two out of five UK adults are likely to feel brand loyalty because of a loyalty card, though over 50% said they keep loyalty cards for more than a decade.